CEO Style

I got the chance to find out recently when I worked with the CEO of a large company in Delaware. He’s a suit guy – meaning he wears suits to work everyday. Having worked with a personal stylist before, he already had an appreciation for fine tailoring from classic New York haberdasheries such as Paul Stuart but many of his suits were dark or pinstriped. Since we were heading into summer months he needed lightweight suits and sport coats in summer colors, fabrics and textures.

The handsome life on a busy schedule

Time was of the essence on the day of our shopping trip, as my client had to catch the train home that afternoon, so a car picked him up at the station and he met me at Rothman’s in Union Square. I’d already pre-shopped and had everything laid out in the dressing room ready to go.

Balancing his hectic work schedule is tough but this CEO makes it a priority to fit weekend concerts, dinners and adventure into his busy life. For that he needs stylish, comfortable, casual clothes that fit his youthful physique and mentality. I’d already pulled aside casual, lightweight pants (he loved them so much he bought them in all three colors), shorts, tees and light cotton sweaters. Everything was altered in-house and shipped straight to his home. This way he didn’t have to deal with tailoring back home and he didn’t have the hassle of carrying all those shopping bags back on the train.

Next we jetted uptown to hit an another upscale men’s boutique and we stopped in at Bloomingdale’s where he couldn’t resist picking up a few John Varvatos tees, lured in by the brand’s rock and roll sensibility.

At Rothman's NYC

Special Clothes for Specific Tastes

After an initial phone consultation I realized that my new client lives a vegan lifestyle – which means no leather or suede, not even a leather tag on a pair of jeans. I soon realized that almost every pair of jeans has some leather on it somewhere – either on the outside by the back pocket or smaller in the inside waistband. Fortunately I found him an excellent fit and wash and the tag was faux-leather. Phew!

Not only do I respect his choices, but working with clients with specific requests is exciting and challenging – it pushes me to find new brands, new designers and people who are creating outside the box. Next time he’s in town we are going to hit up Moo Shoes in the Lower East Side – a completely vegan shoe and accessory line.

Fast, Efficient and Productive

It was amazing how much we accomplished in such a short time. An entire summer wardrobe, hand selected and fine-tuned for his needs, from all over town, in just a few hours. And we even had time to relax in the air-conditioned limo and chat about real estate, writing and meditation as we went from one store to the next.

Be the CEO

Getting this experience isn’t just for CEOs. You could have it too. Everyone has busy lives and sometimes the thought of shopping can feel like an overwhelming and time consuming task. It doesn’t have to be.

Things won’t necessarily slow down for my client this summer, but at least now he’ll look handsome and up-to-date in everything that he does.